Students speak out after stopping school bus when driver has medical emergency

Two Pennsylvania high school students are speaking out after rushing to help their school bus driver during a medical emergency.

“I immediately jumped into action and helped the bus driver as much as I could,” sophomore Alexis Smith told News.

Surveillance video released by the Hollidaysburg Area School District and taken Sept. 18 shows students working together to stop their school bus when they realized something was wrong with their driver.

As students prepared to get off the slowing bus, the surveillance video shows the vehicle begin to move again.

Skyla Horton was one of the students who was supposed to disembark.

“I thought maybe we were just going around the corner again,” Horton told News.

Smith said her friend alerted her about their driver.

“A couple students got off, maybe like two or three and then he slowly started drifting forward. And then his head went down,” Smith said.

The surveillance video then shows Smith getting up from her seat and running toward the driver to help.

“During the time I stepped on the brake, I hit like, a metal pole,” Smith said.

Horton said she then tried to pull the bus parking brake as Smith hit the brake pedal.

“I pulled the parking brake and then I opened the bus door for more airflow for the bus driver,” Horton said.

The students radioed for help and checked the driver’s pulse during the incident.

“He is my regular bus driver. Now, like when I go to the bus, he’ll make like, a little joke — ‘Our hero,'” Smith said.

The Hollidaysburg Area School District thanked Smith for her “heroism” in a Facebook post.

“Alexis took immediate action, safely bringing the bus to a stop, using the radio to call for emergency help and assessing the driver’s pulse and respiration until medical responders arrived,” the district said in part. “We are thankful for her quick thinking and courage.”

According to Hollidaysburg Area School District Superintendent Curtis Whitesel, the driver, who was not identified, has since been cleared to drive again.

“We as a district are so proud of the quick actions of our students to help avoid what could have been a serious accident,” Whitesel said. “The resiliency of America’s youth was on display as they sprung into action and saved the day. We are extremely proud of all of our students.”